Public Transit in the GTA, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

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This is NOT the official website of the Toronto Transit Commission, GO Transit or any other transit provider or government agency. If you are looking for the official website of a particular transit agency in the Greater Toronto Area, you should consult this page here.

The TTC is temporarily replacing streetcar service along the 510 Spadina route with buses during construction at Spadina Avenue and College Street, starting Sunday, March 29.

Until Saturday, May 9, it’s reassigning some of the streetcars that usually serve Spadina to the 509 Harbourfront route, including all of its new Bombardier Flexity cars. During this period, the TTC will allow passengers to pay fares using their PRESTO fare cards when boarding at stops along the 509 Harbourfront route.

Also starting Sunday, March 29, 509 Harbourfront will become a “POP” or “proof of payment” route. You can board streetcars by any door at any stop along the route. But remember, you’ll need to have proof-of-payment — a Metropass or paper transfer — when boarding rear doors of a streetcar. If you pay by cash, token or ticket, you must take a transfer as your proof-of-payment. If a fare inspector asks for your POP and you don’t have one, you could receive a fine of $235.

You can still POP along the 509 Harbourfront route even after regular service resumes and streetcars return to Spadina Avenue.

According to the TTC, streetcars in Toronto provide 250,000 daily trips to passengers. Almost 20 per cent of a streetcar’s travel-time occurs at stops while passengers board or exit the cars. By introducing POP on all routes, the TTC expects to cut that time to about seven per cent of each journey, significantly improving service.

The TTC is making a number of changes to its services, starting Sunday, March 29.

It’s making major changes to the 510Spadina route — replacing the streetcars with buses during upcoming consturction at Spadina Avenue and College Street. It’s borrowing buses from several other routes, including 504King to provide transit service to Spadina passengers.

While the buses serve Spadina, the TTC’s new Flexity Bombardier streetcars roll along the 509Harbourfront route. You can use your PRESTO farecard to pay your fare when boarding any of the new streetcars when operating along the route. PRESTO service on 509 Harbourfront ends, when the new streetcars resume operating along 510 Spadina, starting Sunday, May 10.

Also starting Sunday, 509 Harbourfront becomes a “POP” streetcar route. You can board any streetcar at any door at any stop along the route if you have a POP - a proof of payment. Proofs of payment include a transfer or a pass. POP service continues permanently along 509 Harbourfront, even after construction ends on Spadina Avenue.

From Sunday, March 29 until Saturday, May 9, the City of Toronto and the TTC will carry out major construction work at the intersection of Spadina Avenue and College Street.

The City and TTC intend the project to bring the streetcar-track infrastructure and nearby roads and sidewalks to a state of good repair.

During the project, crews will:

break concrete and excavate to remove the tracks during the week of March 30;

install new streetcar tracks for eight to nine days, including overnight;

rebuild and lengthen the streetcar platforms on College Street to accommodate new low-floor
streetcars;

resurface the road; and

improve accessibility by rebuilding the sidewalks at each corner of the intersection.

The City and TTC have scheduled three phases for the project.

Phase 1: from Sunday, March 29 until Sunday, April 5:

crews will perform advance work by saw-cutting concrete in the intersection.

the City will maintain traffic through the intersection with temporary lane restrictions.

The TTC is replacing streetcars operating along the 510 Spadina route with buses. The buses operate through the intersection but only along part of the route between Spadina Station and Queens Quay West. Buses drop off or pick up passengers in the bus terminal in Spadina Station, instead of the streetcar terminal and serve stops beside the curb, instead of the centre-road “island” streetcar stops. Passengers traveling to and from Union Station can board streetcars operating along the 509 Harbourfront route to Queens Quay West and Lower Spadina Avenue.

Phase 2: From Monday, April 6 until Sunday, April 26:

The City is fully closing the intersection to traffic in all directions.

The TTC detour streetcars operating along the 506 Carlton route away from the intersection.

The TTC continues to operate buses along the 510 Spadina route, but diverts the buses around the intersection. (A future Transit Toronto post will detail information on TTC detours during this phase of the project.)

Phase 3: From Monday, April 27 until Saturday, May 9:

The City is again only partially closing the intersection, maintaining one lane in each direction.

TTC streetcars operating along the 506 Carlton route resume regular service through the intersection.

The TTC continues to operate buses along the 510 Spadina route, but the buses resume regular service through the intersection. (A future Transit Toronto post will detail information on TTC detours during this phase of the project.)

From Sunday, March 29 until Saturday, May 9, the TTC will operate its new Bombardier Flexity streetcars along the 509 Harbourfront route, while buses replace the cars along the 510 Spadina route. During this period, the TTC will allow passengers to pay fares using their PRESTO fare cards when boarding at stops along the 509 Harbourfront route.

Starting Sunday, March 29, 509 Harbourfront will also become a “POP” or “proof of payment” route. You can board streetcars by any door at any stop along the route. However you should retain your transfer to prove that you have paid a fare. Show your transfer or pass to a TTC fare inspector if he or she asks to see your proof of payment. POP service along the 509 Harbourfront route continues even after streetcars return to Spadina Avenue.

Also Sunday, March 29 until Saturday, May 9, all other streetcars that usually serve the 510 Spadina route will operate, instead, along the 504 King route. During this time, only streetcars will operating along the route, while the buses that have supplemented streetcars in recent months will serve 510 Spadina passengers.

As with all construction projects, expect noise, dust and other temporary inconveniences.

The City will impose parking, traffic and some pedestrian restrictions in and around the work area. During phase 2, it will close to all traffic:

College Street between Robert and Huron Streets;

Spadina Avenue between Spadina Crescent and Oxford Street; and

Crews will usually work from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m., Mondays to Fridays, and from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m.
weekends. To meet project timelines, they may work some late evenings and overnight while they are installing new overhead wiring, moving rails into position and installing, welding and grinding the new rails.

Note: We apologize for the late notice, but we received information about this event today.

Join BFAST — Burlington For Accessible Transit — tomorrow, Saturday, March 28 for a morning of discussion about local transit issues. Admission is free and everyone is welcome to attend. You may even enjoy a free continental breakfast.

During the event, you can meet other Burlington Transit users and transit advocates to discuss potential strategies for improving transit in Burlington. You can also describe your riding experiences and offer your views on how to improve the transit system.

The event takes place from 10 a.m. until noon in Centennial Hall, Burlington Central Library

Metrolinx and York Region contractors continue to work on the project to build a rapidway — bus-only lanes in the centre of the roadway.

Starting Monday, March 30 from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. each day, crews are inspecting and repairing landscaping at curbside locations between Town Centre Boulevard / South Town Centre Boulevard and Allstate Parkway. They’ll temporarily block west- and eastbound curb lanes, but will not affect the rapidway lanes.

Sidewalks will remain open, and flag persons will be on-site to guide pedestrians safely around the work zone.

Work continues until April 2.

Starting Monday, March 30 from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. each day, crews are checking underground drain systems at curbside locations between Rodick Road and Highway 404. They’ll temporarily block west- and eastbound curb lanes, but will not affect the rapidway lanes.

Sidewalks will remain open, and flag persons will be on-site to guide pedestrians safely around the work zone.

Metrolinx and York Region contractors continue the project to build a rapidway — bus-only lanes in the centre of the roadway — along Davis Drive in Newmarket.

Starting Monday, March 30 from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day, crews are performing electrical work along the south side of Davis Drive between the Tannery and just east of Charles Street.

They’ll block the west entrance to Taylor Funeral Home [524 Davis Drive] for about two days as they work past the area. The east entrance will remain open. They’ll keep both entrances to the 540 Davis plaza, but will narrow them during this work.

They’ll also provide a pedestrian walkway on the south side of Davis. Directional signs will guide you safely around the work zone.

Work continues until April 10.

Starting Monday, March 30 from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day, crews are installing tree planters in the boulevard:

on the south side of Davis between Main Street and Lorne Avenue; and

on the north side of Davis between Barbara Road and George Street

They’ll block the westbound curb lane between Barbara and George. They may also block sidewalks. Directional signs will guide you safely around the work zone.

Work continues until April 10.

Starting Monday, March 30 from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day, crews continue the underground electrical work for installing permanent traffic signals around each corner of the intersection of Davis with Huron Heights Drive / Alexander Road.

They’ll block traffic lanes and sidewalks around the work area. Directional signs will guide you safely around the work zone.

Work continues until April 2.

Crews have installed the gas-line segment on Davis. They finished installing a new gas main on the re-aligned portion of Parkside Drive last week.

York Region Transit is relocating bus stops during construction:

the eastbound stop at the southwest corner of Charles Street and Davis to the southwest corner of Davis and Prospect Street for several days this week;

the westbound stop west of Bayview Parkway to east of Bayview for about a month or until May 1.

the eastbound stop at the southwest corner of Alexander Road and Davis to east of Alexander for the next several days.

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